It Was Great Seeing The Stoic Ewing Smile

THE SPORTS COLUMN

The Darth Vader of the NBA let the little boy in him show Sunday. New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing, who has a scowl that only the Boogie Man could love, replaced it with a rare smile.

With only seconds left and the Knicks' spine-tingling, Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers assured, Ewing smothered a fan at courtside with a bear hug. During a timeout he fired punches at an NBC television camera like a young Muhammad Ali.

Had someone spiked Patrick's Gatorade? On a day when he showed off lots of great moves, those displays of emotions were the most heartwarming. Ewing, sheltered at Georgetown by John Thompson, keeps all but family, teammates and close friends at a distance. I'll bet that behind that stoic look on Ewing's face is the personality of a teddy bear, and that's why it was great seeing this big guy grin for once.

Ewing is one of those lunch-bucket guys who plays for the love of the game. As the buzzer sounded Sunday, he still was on the court, his arms raised to the heavens, cheers pouring down on him. Startled photographers rushed to squeeze off shots, knowing moments like this with Ewing are scarce as buffalo nickels.

Despite his excitement Sunday, the Knicks captain will not be remembered as Mr. Personality. He's still a recluse. But at least he removed himself from another list. No longer is he among the great athletes who never have played for a NBA championship.

Starting Wednesday against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets, Ewing, 31, gets his chance. You can bet that if the Knicks win, he'll flash an even wider smile.

It has taken Ewing and the Knicks, who sometimes play like dock workers on a lunch break, 100 games to reach this season's Finals. It also has taken much pushing, pleading and cajoling by their inspirational coach, Pat Riley. The Knicks are not a great team. They are not as talented as the Rockets, who should win because Olajuwon is more gifted than Ewing, and because they have the home-court advantage.

The Rockets are a basketball army, with lots of loose cannons in players such as Vernon Maxwell and Sam Cassell. Forwards Otis Thorpe and Robert Horry should be a match for the Knicks' physical front line. Be careful though. Counting the Knicks out has been a losing proposition. They're just good enough to win when Ewing is playing great. Sunday, Ewing was better than that. He racked up 24 points, 22 rebounds, 7 blocks and 5 assists in one of the top clutch performances ever by a Knick. Ewing gave new meaning to the cliche, ''coming up big.''

He told NBC afterward that he had asked to be the focal point of the offense. 'I said, 'Give me the ball,' '' Ewing said. ''If we are going to lose, let me lose it.''

That's what you want from your superstar, and this Game 7 was played like an NBA playoff game should be. Ewing was racking up big plays for the Knicks, and Reggie Miller and Byron Scott were trying to help the Pacers to what would have been a stunning upset. For too long in these playoffs, there had been too much grabbing, pushing and holding. There aren't enough good centers, too few quality outside shooters and a dearth of point guards. That's why some games have looked like pickup contests at the YMCA. We're starting to see the effects of a rash of retirements. You can't subtract superstars such as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and not see the dropoff in talent. Few young players are ready to make us forget aging stars like James Worthy, Robert Parish and Moses Malone.

The NBA isn't nearly as talented as it was in Bird and Jordan's heyday, and that's why Ewing has a chance to win a title. Any of those Bird, McHale, Parish teams would destroy these Knicks.

Of course, Ewing doesn't care about that. Nine years after leaving Georgetown, he is headed for the big show. Good for him.

Ewing's aloofness has kept him from making friends, but he has conducted himself like a true gentleman. He never has been linked to scandal. He has been a family man and a leader for his team. Moreover, he's a superstar who came through when his team needed him. The Knicks couldn't ask for more.